Vibrating dental plate and accessories

Abstract

Vibrating dental devices and accessories are provided, including a unique snap fit dental plate and vibrator connection; risers for adjusting the thickness of a dental plate; a pointer or wand that can be clamped onto a dental plate to reach even severely misaligned teeth; a cushioned dental plate having a non-Newtonian fluid therein that allows conformation of the cushion to the dentition, but hardens on use to allow the transmission of vibration to the teeth. Accessories such as carrying cases and docking stations are also provided.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A dental bite plate comprising:
 an inner stiff core; 
 an upper capsule formed by a flexible polymeric material, wherein the upper capsule is attached to an upper surface of said inner stiff core; and 
 a lower capsule formed by a flexible polymeric material, wherein said lower capsule is attached to a lower surface of the inner stiff core, wherein said upper capsule and said lower capsule are filled with a shear-thickening non-Newtonian fluid that is malleable when a slow force is applied thereto, but that stiffens when a vibratory force is applied thereto, wherein said inner stiff core is U-shaped; and wherein said upper capsule and said lower capsule are each U-shaped to contact a patient's entire dentition. 
 
     
     
       2. The dental bite plate of  claim 1 , wherein the shear-thickening non-Newtonian fluid is selected from the group consisting of a mixture of corn starch and water, a combination of rigid beads and oil or syrup, a combination of nanoparticles and oil, and a combination of nanoparticles and syrup. 
     
     
       3. The dental bite plate of  claim 1 , wherein the dental bite plate has a prong protruding from a labial midline of said dental bite plate for connecting to an extraoral vibrator.